Harvard-trained doctor Sue Jamieson claims body dysmorphic disorder is now rife in Hong Kong as an increasing number of people seek to improve their appearance.

“I believe it’s actually very common, but we don’t realise it,” she says.

According to British tabloid newspaper reports, Miles has spent more than £100,000 (US0,000) to look like the doll, and set aside £20,000 for her daughter to follow suit.

Rival Briton Blondie Bennett is reportedly such a Barbie buff that she has undergone hypnotherapy to reduce her IQ.

You can now buy broad, pan-racial and cornrowed Kens. Inevitably there is also an Asian Ken from Japan, who wields a samurai-style sword.

The cultural chameleon must sometimes feel like impaling himself, because on average, kids just have one Ken doll to seven Barbies. Bits drop off and need repairing, according to Alves, who states he was born in the wrong body.

Likewise, Tokyo-based Barbie Taylor R presents as natural, inspired by the lifestyle trend called : cuteness in the context of Japanese culture.In line with unease about the impact on girls and slipping sales, Barbie maker Mattel has given her an overhaul with good results – 66 per cent of Americans surveyed by Huff Post/You Gov said they knew that Mattel is selling a more diverse line of dolls.And a vast majority favoured the development: just 8 per cent were opposed.Invariably the look that the surgery-obsessed clients seek is European.The reason, according to Jamieson, is the impact of Western culture.Other than Alves, few living Kens exist, except American plastic surgery fan Justin Jedlica.The self-styled artist and pioneer of the modifiable male aesthetic states that he has no intention of stopping surgery.Last year, according to British newspaper the , Jedlica and his friend, self-declared living cartoon Pixee Fox, vowed to live together as the real-life Ken and Barbie – to share life as living dolls. “I am dedicating my life to creating my own fairy tale.I see my body as a work of art, my life as a science project, and the world as my gallery,” says Fox’s website statement.Often, the operation meant to fix the perceived flaw goes wrong, making the situation worse, she says.“Then it’s repairing the damage, and they actually forget what they looked like in the beginning sometimes,” she says.